Mahou Tsukai no Yome: Nishi no Shounen to Seiran no Kishi

Before the start of the second season of The Ancient Magus' Bride, I figured it was time to refresh my memory of its world. I realized that except for a few characters and a vague notion of what it's about, I don't remember much about the series after five years. Well, after this three-part OVA, I'm starting to remember what I liked and didn't like about The Ancient Magus' Bride. Just like the series, the OVA looks good visually, although the animation is no longer done by the Wit animation studio but by the newly founded Studio Kafka. It does have some ties to Wit Studio including a few former employees, but this change doesn't mean any significant drop in animation quality. It's still quite nice to look at. What I enjoy about this series is the various supernatural creatures, of which there are a few in this OVA as well, plus the Wild Hunt as a bonus. The problem I have with The Ancient Magus' Bride in general, though, and this OVA hasn't changed my opinion, is the fact that the creators didn’t quite sell me on the world or build a strong story around it that I would find captivating enough. I wasn’t really affected by what I saw. Some emotional response came only at the very end, but it was minimal. I understand what the story was supposed to be about, and the message I was supposed to take away from it concerning the asthmatic boy and his new friend, but still, I don’t think I’ll remember more than just a few characters and a vague idea of what it was all about in a few weeks. Like the series, it just didn’t affect me. There was something missing, a certain charm. The setting itself was more interesting than what happened in it. For me, it was only slightly above average, 5.5/10 at most. (2023.02.27)